Sunday, February 1. 2009

Thank you for your letter of 19 December to Dawn Primarolo about Professor David Nutt, the newly appointed Chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD). As you will appreciate, Ms Primarolo receives a large amount of correspondence and is unable to respond to every letter personally. I have been asked to reply on her behalf.

The Department of Health regards involuntary addiction as a very important issue. As you may be aware, the main focus of the Department's action in this area has been to try and prevent addiction/dependence occurring in the first place by warning GPs and other prescribers of the potential side-effects of prescribed medicines and the dangers of involuntary addiction to benzodiazepines.

I can assure you that the safety of the use of benzodiazepines in routine clinical practice is closely monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Any possible new safety issue to emerge is evaluated and, if necessary, appropriate action will be taken and the product information for prescribers and patients updated.

As you are aware, concerns about the safety of benzodiazepines, especially in relation to the risk of involuntary addiction, has led to action being taken by the Department, the MHRA and other professional bodies to limit prescribing, provide extensive warnings about the risks of dependence and advice about gradual withdrawal. Health professionals were informed of these changes and various reminders have been distributed by the MHRA and the Department of Health since 1980.

The Department is aware of recent comments made by Professor Nutt. However, the Department understands that said comments were made in a professional capacity and not as part of his role of Chairman of the ACMD, I would like to clarify that Professor Nutt's views on benzodiazepine do not reflect the ACMD's views on this matter as a whole.